Backing Up Your Siemens Teamcenter Databases
Ask any DBA what the single most important part of their job is and their answer should always be backup/recovery. The DBA plays a critical role in being able to recover the databases (and overall availability) from a failed state. Backups can be a tricky thing to define as there can be external pieces that affect your ability to truely recover to a point in time before the failure.
When discussing the backup strategy for the Teamcenter application you need to consider the relationship and interaction between the SQL Server database and the file repository.
Teamcenter Runtime Architecture
The "Resource Tier" has both the Teamcenter database and the Teamcenter file server(s). So how can you ensure that when you need to restore one side (database) that the other side (file repository) is going to be restored to the same point in time?
Siemens recommends choosing one of three approaches to doing this:
Option 1: Take cold backups—that is, take the system offline to halt user activity, back up both the database and file repository, and put the system back online.
Option 2: Take online backups and accept some small potential inconsistency. The issues with this approach can be minimized if the backups are taken during periods of low activity.
Option 3: Use Teamcenter’s hot backup mode. In this mode, Teamcenter suspends writing files directly to the file repository (they are held in a temporary location called a Blobby Volume). File backups are taken, and the system is then returned to normal mode. If a restore is necessary, SQL Server’s point-in-time restore capability can be used to restore the database to the point in time when the system was placed in hot backup mode. This will ensure consistency between the database and the file repository.
Successfully backing up your databases is an important part of your disaster recovery plan, but it is only one part. A complete disaster recovery plan should look at all the individual pieces that are needed to restore full functionality from a failed state.
Something to keep in mind...
"A good DBA creates a Disaster Recovery Plan... A great DBA tests and updates it"
Please read the Siemens Teamcenter and SQL Server Best Practices whitepaper for more information
More information on this advanced topic is available from Siemens. You can talk with your Siemens support professional, or refer to documentation at the Siemens Teamcenter GTAC Support Site.
For Siemens Teamcenter and Microsoft news, events, and further information, see the Siemens PLM and Microsoft Alliance page.
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